By Adam Cliff, Executive Director, The Empty Homes Network

Across the UK, the housing conversation is often framed around one central issue: we need to build more homes. While increasing supply is important, there is another, often overlooked, opportunity already sitting within our communities; empty homes.

At a time when housing affordability is worsening, homelessness is rising, and local authorities are under immense pressure, the continued existence of empty homes presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Working in partnership with Resonance, we believe that addressing empty homes must play a central role in creating a more sustainable, resilient housing system.

The Scale of the Opportunity

Recent figures indicate that there are more than 300,000 long-term empty homes in England, properties that have stood vacant for six months or longer. When second homes and shorter-term vacancies are included, the total number of unused properties rises significantly further.

These are not theoretical opportunities. These are existing homes, already connected to infrastructure, embedded within communities, and often capable of being brought back into use more quickly than new homes can be delivered. In a housing system constrained by land availability, planning delays, labour shortages, and rising construction costs, empty homes represent one of the fastest and most sustainable ways to increase housing supply.

Yet despite this potential, progress in bringing empty homes back into use remains inconsistent. Activity is often dependent on local authority capacity, short-term funding, or individual projects rather than a coordinated national approach. This creates a fragmented landscape where significant opportunities remain untapped.

Why Empty Homes Matter

Empty homes are not just a housing issue, they are also a community, economic and environmental issue.

When properties remain empty for extended periods, the impacts are felt locally. Empty homes can contribute to neighbourhood decline, reduce confidence in an area, and in some cases attract anti-social behaviour. At the same time, local authorities lose council tax income, and communities miss out on the social and economic benefits that occupied homes bring.

There is also a clear environmental dimension. Refurbishing and reusing existing homes is typically far lower carbon than new build development. As the UK seeks to meet ambitious climate targets, the reuse of existing housing stock must form part of a more sustainable housing strategy.

Most importantly, empty homes represent missed opportunities. At a time when many households are struggling to access safe, secure and affordable housing, viable homes remain unused. Bringing these properties back into use can provide genuinely affordable homes, support local regeneration, and deliver housing outcomes more quickly than many traditional development routes.

For these reasons, empty homes should not be viewed as a niche or luxury intervention, but as a core part of the wider housing solution.

A Collaborative Call for Change

Recognising this opportunity, we have been working closely with Resonance Ltd to develop a joint letter to Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning. Our shared aim is to highlight the untapped potential of empty homes and propose practical, scalable approaches that can unlock them more effectively.

This collaboration brings together complementary strengths. Resonance brings extensive experience in social impact investment and structuring sustainable funding models, while our work focuses on identifying and bringing empty homes back into use in partnership with local authorities and communities. Together, we believe there is a significant opportunity to develop approaches that operate at greater scale and deliver long-term impact.

The purpose of our joint letter is not simply to highlight the issue, but to contribute constructively to the national housing conversation. We believe that increased awareness, improved coordination, and sustainable funding mechanisms could enable empty homes to play a much more meaningful role in addressing housing need.

Moving Beyond Short-Term Solutions

Too often, empty homes initiatives operate within short-term funding cycles or isolated local projects. While these programmes can deliver valuable outcomes, they rarely achieve the scale required to address the wider challenge.

A more sustainable approach requires long-term thinking. This includes developing investment models that allow refurbishment projects to be delivered consistently, supporting local authorities with the capacity to identify and unlock opportunities, and creating delivery partnerships that can operate across multiple areas.

By moving beyond one-off interventions and towards repeatable, scalable models, empty homes can become a reliable part of housing delivery. This approach not only increases housing supply, but also supports regeneration, strengthens communities, and delivers environmental benefits through reuse of existing stock.

Our ambition is to help build this more sustainable system, and one that unlocks empty homes year after year.

A Shared Vision for the Future

The UK’s housing challenges are complex, but solutions already exist within our towns, cities and communities. Empty homes represent one of the most immediate and sustainable opportunities available, offering a way to increase housing supply while supporting regeneration and reducing environmental impact.

Through our partnership with Resonance Ltd, we are committed to advancing this agenda and helping to shape a more coordinated national approach. By working collaboratively with government, local authorities, investors and delivery organisations, we believe empty homes can play a far greater role in addressing housing need.